Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Let’s talk about breasts…

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I hope to see all y'all locals at the Drink Pink event October 30 at The Royale...

...but right now this bitch would like to talk about breasts.

Breast awareness is important every month. As a woman of color who has reached a certain age (wince) I’m beyond freaked out by the news that black women are…well, we’re in crisis as regards the breasts.

Although this call to action isn’t WOC specific…all women should be vigilant in their breast awareness…I’m speaking specifically to my sisters of color because the data shows we’re less likely to receive early diagnosis, less likely to receive aggressive or alternative treatmentand less likely to survive.

Blink.

So I'm asking you...all of you, because it ain't a bad idea for anyone...to call your sisters, aunts, cousins, Sorors, beast friends from back in the day, beautician, loctician and the woman who hooks up your nails….call them all and jump up in their breast-based business.

Ask them when the last time they had a well woman check-up was…a breast exam or mammogram…and when was the last time they did a self exam.

Jump up in the business of every woman you know…because breast cancer isn’t a solo experience, treatment takes a team and kicking cancer in the ass is a family affair.

I want to witness a sea of diversity sporting pink at the next Komen Race…and that means this bitch is going to be all up in all y’alls breast-based business (wink).

7 comments:

I told all the chicks I know that I would gladly give out free breast exams on demand - but so far no takers.

I think I will email them all this post. They think I have sinister motives behind my offer, but really my motives begin and end with early detection of cancer. Nobody believes me.

Cancer is not a laughing matter. Nothing at all funny about that. I know someone who died in his early 30s from cancer. It started out as a lump in his neck, and less than a year later dude was dead. Very awful.

And one more thing, if you're pregnant or planning to give birth in the future - plan to breastfeed your baby. It's not only healthier for the baby, it helps reduce the risk of breast cancer (and uterine and ovarian cancer too)!

Although clearly one of the major issues for black women is later diagnosis and less likelihood of getting aggressive treatment (apparently NOT all due to differences in socioeconomic status in the studies I have seen), one other problem seems to be coming to light. There is an increased incidence of "triple negative" breast cancers (negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors and for HER2 receptor) in black women vs. white women. 50% vs 30%, though my memory could be off. This is a problem in that the therapies specifically directed toward receptor positive tumors are ineffective in the triple negative population. All that is left is the regular lose-your-hair, barf-your-guts chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. So some effective and not very toxic therapies just aren't there for first-line therapy or for backup after recurrence.

IMO, the St. Louis Komen Race has always looked pretty diverse to me. But then I walk, so I see the bulk of the crowd, not just the runners.

I honestly believe that if a man had an annual appointment to have his balls squeezed in a vise, he would demand a more comfortable procedure. We get the indignity of the stirrups, the boobs-in-a-vise and then we get to pay hundreds of dollars for the fun even if we have insurance.

This post is so necessary! Breast cancer awareness needs to be at the forefront of every woman's mind, especially women of color. We don't need anything else victimizing us, and trying to take us out of here. I will send something similar to this post via email and facebook to all of my friends, both male and female. If we can get men on our team too, that would be great! GOOD POST!